Sex-for-rent arrangements put tenants in vulnerable situations
Dublin Rape Crisis CEO Noeline Blackwell said many people enter into arrangements of 'survival sex', either for money or in some cases, for accommodation.
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Far from the high rent pressure zones of Dublin lies Newcastlewest, a thriving town 40 minutes' drive from Limerick City.
A quick trawl online shows very little available on the rental market in the area — one three-bedroom property on the outskirts advertised with a rent of €1,150.
But a short distance away, a larger property is advertised on a different website at reduced rent in return for “occasional fun” in a house share arrangement with the landlord. So what is the catch?
The advertisement is just one of a number placed by sleazy landlords on less popular websites, offering reduced or free rent in return for sex.
While one of the properties is in Newcastlewest, the others are in different parts of Dublin.
One of those offers a “friends with benefits” arrangement in return for free accommodation.
Other advertisements which have expired in recent weeks were also offering rental arrangements in return for sexual favours — also in Dublin.
She says tenants taking up such accommodation are not entering into a situation of equal power.
“It is a reality that someone is effectively selling sex for the amount of what the rent is," she said.
While tenants who end up in such arrangements will rationalise it to themselves when they enter into the arrangement, she says, the reality is that it equates to non-consensual sex because the tenant has no power in such a situation.
“In such a case, the landlord sets the rule, sets the agenda, and is essentially purchasing sexual services," she said.
"It is consensual in so much that the tenant is entering into the arrangement but they have no power.”
She said many people enter into arrangements of “survival sex”, either for money or in some cases, for accommodation.
"The possibility of abuse is constant. The tenant must be available all the time. It is preying on people who have a need for accommodation.”
Dr Cliona Sadlier, executive director of the Rape Crisis Network of Ireland (RCNI), said: “If sex is exchanged because you may be made homeless if you don’t, that is not consent freely given."
She said RCNI has seen a growth in the amount of “transactional pressure” being put on young girls by young boys and older men looking for sex in return for something else.
A sex for rent arrangement is similar in nature.
In September, Labour TD Ivana Bacik introduced the Residential Tenancies (Tenants' Rights) Bill 2021 in the Dáil.
Among the provisions in the bill is the proposed strengthening of protections against eviction for those who are renting.
Ms Bacik said she is really concerned about the existence of advertisements offering low or free accommodation in return for sex saying they indicate just how difficult it is currently for renters to find affordable accommodation.
"It is yet another reason why we need to move urgently to pass stronger laws protecting renters and why we need a three year rent freeze.”
Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns said the increased presence of such advertisements is deeply concerning.
"There should be a filtering system on apps or websites to prevent these ads appearing and, at the very least, they should be immediately removed when reported.
"I would appeal to tenants, who have been sexually harassed or abused by their landlord, to come forward and report these despicable people to the gardaí.”
The issue was raised in 2019 by then Socialist Party TD Ruth Coppinger, who said sex for rent was becoming a reality for many tenants.
She told the Dáil of messages she has been shown by a female tenant who was propositioned by her landlord when she told him she was leaving because the rent was too expensive.
Following that, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) discussed the possibility of conducting research to establish how prevalent was the practice in Ireland. However, the research has not taken place.
The possibility of including a question on the RTB’s annual survey was examined and a meeting was held between the RTB and rape crisis representatives.
“The consensus from the meeting was that there is a research gap on the issue of ‘sex for rent’ and that it is important to gain a better insight into the occurrence of the issue.
"However, adding a question(s) to the current RTB annual tenant survey was not deemed to be the most appropriate method in which to research the issue given the impact it could have on participants and interviewers and due to the influence the face-to-face survey method may have on the response rate and data quality because of the sensitive nature of the topic.”
- If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please click here for a list of support services.
According to the RTB, they do not have a role to play in relation to ads seeking sex for rent arrangements as the organisation only has jurisdiction once a tenancy begins. But the spokesman said: “The RTB believe that any form of sexual harassment, intimidation or inappropriate behaviour in a person’s home is very serious."
He said if someone “feels threatened by a landlord or their authorised agent either verbally or via emails/text messages and it is interfering with the peaceful enjoyment of their tenancy, a tenant can apply for Dispute Resolution with the RTB citing breach of landlord obligations”.
Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien has condemned the advertising of sex in return for free or low-rent accommodation, and urged people to contact gardaí about such advertisements.
A spokesman for his department said the Government has taken a number of steps in the past 18 months to increase protections for renters and pointed to the recently launched new Threshold campaign which is supported by the Department of Housing, called Own Your Rights.
The campaign aims to provide tenants with immediate and urgent assistance with issues affecting them.
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